“Well-established since the 1970s for her mixed-media sculptures featuring lifelike animals and figures in outrageous, mischievous, and wry tableaux, Jo-Ellen Trilling expanded her vision into painting in 2001, inspired in part by the events of September 11th and their aftermath. Soon her oils took on a life of their own.Populated by a cast of animals, toys, and magical beings similar to those in her sculptures, her narrative paintings evoke the fairytales of the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. Their metaphysical aspects suggest the magical world of Alice in Wonderland and The Lord of the Rings.Inviting us in with their seeming innocence and charm, Trilling’s works gradually unfold into a more unsettling and haunting underpinning. Their multiple layers probe the subconscious and reflect the elusive, shifting, and troubling aspects of contemporary experience. While enigmatic, Trilling’s images are also at times allegorical, referring to aspects of the politics and culture of society today.”- Katherine Ashe